Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Wed, May 13, 2026 09:31 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Harriet Dempsey-Jones

Postdoctoral Researcher in Cognitive Neurosciences, UCL
I am a researcher in the field of cognitive psychology at University College London. I look at how our brains and particular cognitive processes cause our subjective psychological and perceptual experience.

My research looks at how the body processes touch and other sensory inputs. Particularly, I am interested in plasticity in the area of the brain that processes sensory inputs from your body - the somatosensory cortex. I look at how this system is shaped by adding or removing sensory inputs.

For example, I look at how daily activity (the way our bodies move and how we interact with the world) causes patterns of sensory input that shape the body map in the brain. I also look at how we can directly improve perception by adding input through training - sensory enhancement.

On the other side of the coin, I am also interested in understanding the effects of sensory deprivation. What happens to the brain and, subsequently, to perception when you remove sensory inputs? I look at this on short-term timescale using anaesthetics and on a longer timescale by working with people who have experienced amputation of one or more limbs.

In my PhD at the University of Queensland I looked at how our brains combine sensory inputs from our eyes, ears, skin etc. to form a coherent perception of the world and our bodies. My undergraduate studies were in psychology where I covered a diversity of topics related to perceptual, cognitive, social, neuroscience, business and statistical aspects of psychological research.

I also love teaching, and has taught a variety of courses at my various universities on neuroscience, physiology and psychology.

What is the best sense? Scientists are still battling it out

Apr 01, 2019 17:19 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

If there is one thing Twitter has taught us, its that the world loves a question that sounds stupid, but actually has a profound and interesting answer. For instance, what would happen if the world suddenly turned into...

How the brain remembers amputated limbs – and continues to control them

Feb 08, 2019 11:57 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

Most people who have lost a limb still feel its presence decades later. This phenomenon, dubbed phantom limb, has long been a mystery. But with new ultra-high resolution brain scanning, are now able to look inside the...

Economy

Trump Pushes China Market Access During High-Stakes Xi Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his top priority during his state visit to China will be urging President Xi Jinping to open the Chinese market further to Western companies. Speaking aboard Air Force...

Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Strong U.S. Inflation Data Boosts Dollar

Asian currencies traded mostly flat on Wednesday after posting strong gains in the previous session, as higher-than-expected U.S. inflation data strengthened the U.S. dollar and pushed Treasury yields higher. Investors...

Asian Stocks Steady as Iran War Concerns Persist Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

Asian stock markets traded in a narrow range on Wednesday as investors remained cautious over the ongoing Iran conflict and its potential impact on global inflation. Market sentiment also stayed focused on the upcoming...

Australia Housing Tax Reform Sparks Debate Over Property Investor Tax Breaks

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has triggered a major political and economic debate after announcing plans to scale back tax breaks for property investors, a move welcomed by many aspiring homebuyers but...

New Zealand Budget 2026 Focuses on Fiscal Discipline and Infrastructure Investment

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that the government will maintain strict control over day-to-day spending in Budget 2026 while significantly increasing capital investment to strengthen the countrys...

Politics

Trump Administration Appoints David Venturella as Acting ICE Director Amid Immigration Crackdown

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official David Venturella will become the agencys new acting director following the departure of Todd Lyons at the...

Bahamas Election 2026: Prime Minister Philip Davis Secures Historic Second Term

Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis and the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) secured a decisive victory in the 2026 Bahamas general election, marking the first time in nearly three decades that a Bahamian leader has...

Tennessee Republicans Remove Democrats From Committees After Redistricting Protest

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton removed Democratic lawmakers from all committee and subcommittee assignments following protests over the states controversial congressional redistricting plan. The disciplinary action...

Russia Resumes Heavy Drone Attacks on Ukraine After Ceasefire Ends

Russian forces launched a new wave of attacks across Ukraines Dnipropetrovsk region on Tuesday, killing at least six people and injuring several others shortly after a temporary U.S.-mediated ceasefire expired. Ukrainian...

US-China Trade Talks Begin in South Korea Ahead of Trump-Xi Beijing Summit

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for high-level trade discussions with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng ahead of the much-anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and...

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

Japan’s Top Banks to Gain Access to Anthropic’s Claude Mythos AI Model

Japans three largest banking institutions are expected to receive access to Claude Mythos, the advanced artificial intelligence model created by U.S.-based AI startup Anthropic, according to a report published by Nikkei on...

Samsung Shares Slide as Wage Talks Collapse, Raising Strike Fears

Samsung Electronics shares fell sharply on Wednesday after negotiations between the company and its largest labour union failed to produce a wage agreement, increasing concerns over a possible large-scale strike that could...

Arteris Stock Surges After Strong Q1 Earnings Beat and Higher 2026 Outlook

Arteris Inc. (NASDAQ: AIP) shares surged in after-hours trading on Tuesday after the semiconductor software company reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter 2026 earnings and raised its full-year revenue forecast. The...

Anthropic Eyes $300M Stainless Acquisition Amid Enterprise AI Expansion

Anthropic is reportedly in advanced discussions to acquire developer tools startup Stainless in a deal valued at more than $300 million, according to a report from The Information. The potential acquisition highlights the...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to Join Trump’s China Visit Amid AI Chip Tensions

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is expected to join a group of top American business leaders accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to China, according to two Reuters sources familiar with the matter....